ка́ждый vs вся́кий
kazhdyy vs vsyakiy — each/every vs any/every kind
Register: neutral
What it really means
Ка́ждый means “each” or “every” member of a known group, viewed individually. It agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case: каждый день, каждая книга, каждое утро, and все́ ка́ждому студенту. It is the normal choice when you mean that the statement applies to all members one by one.
Вся́кий can mean “any” or “every kind of,” often with a sense of “any whatsoever,” variety, or a general type. It may sound bookish in some uses and can be dismissive in phrases such as всякие разговоры, “all sorts of talk.” In negative, conditional, or rhetorical contexts, всякий often means “any”: всякий может ошибиться, “anyone can make a mistake.”
Examples in natural speech
Каждый студент получил сертификат.
Each student received a certificate.
Я читаю газету каждый день.
I read a newspaper every day.
Всякий человек может ошибиться.
Any person can make a mistake.
Не слушай всякие советы в интернете.
Do not listen to all sorts of advice on the internet.
Каждая команда подготовила свой проект.
Each team prepared its own project.
Common mistakes
Do not replace каждый with всякий when you mean a clearly defined set counted one by one: каждый ученик means “each student,” while всякий ученик sounds like “any student whatsoever” or a general statement. Also do not confuse всякий with всякий раз, “every time,” and всякий with всякие in a dismissive “all sorts of” phrase; the adjective changes for gender, number, and case.
Memory tip
Ка́ждый checks every member individually; вся́кий opens the door to any kind or example.
Frequently asked questions
Does каждый mean “everyone”?
Каждый means “each/every” and agrees with a noun; каждый пришёл means “everyone came” when the people are understood.
When does всякий mean “any”?
It commonly means “any whatsoever” in general or conditional statements: всякий может попробовать, “anyone can try.”
What does всякий раз mean?
Всякий раз is the fixed phrase “every time,” as in всякий раз, когда он звонит, “every time he calls.”
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